Nine UMG members collect Post-Dispatch severance

As expected, several long-time United Media Guild members volunteered to accept lay-offs in place of the four reporters and one copy editor originally targeted.

The company made this announcement:

Under the terms of the United Media Guild’s collective bargaining agreement, four reporters and a copy editor were reinstated from the June 26 reduction in force. Nine members of the Guild applied for voluntary separation and the Post-Dispatch accepted. Columnist Bill McClellan volunteered but will continue to write a Sunday column. Bill’s column will appear this Friday and Sunday, and then resume Sundays only on Aug. 2 after his previously scheduled vacation.

This was the culmination of a months-long process. Here is how it broke down:

Earlier this year, the UMG and Post-Dispatch management discussed the possibility of reducing the workforce by offering long-time newsroom employees the opportunity to depart voluntarily and collect severance. After originally seeking volunteers, P-D management changed its mind and announced there would be no voluntary layoffs.

UMG leaders urged the company to reconsider, since this was an opportunity to “clear the decks” of senior journalists before the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement in September. We knew we have several members in position to either retire early or move on to other jobs.

Not long after the company proposed expedited bargaining to extend our contract, the company announced layoffs — including the four reporters and one copy editor, among other UMG members. This prompted the UMG to revisit the earlier discussions about voluntary departures, including our earlier discussion of McClellan’s situation. It became readily apparent we would get enough volunteers to cover the reporters and the editor.

After the layoffs were announced, UMG leadership discussed the parameters of the expedited bargaining. The company indicated that it would be willing to offer raises but it would want some revision of our current severance language — which allows long-time employees to collect up to 66 weeks of pay, depending on their hiring date and years of service.

Not coincidentally, we soon learned that a larger group of members wanted to leave under the current contract language. More reporters than necessary stepped up to take the severance and UMG members in other classifications also volunteered.

Ultimately the company decided to expand the layoff by taking nine volunteers. In addition, the company offered to pay severance to the originally targeted editor — even though another editor volunteered for the layoff. That editor ultimately decided to stay, along with the four reporters.

We Are the United Media Guild

The NewGuild traces it roots to the groundbreaking American Journalists Association, founded in 1919 in St. Louis as a trade association for journalists. Although not connected to organized labor, the AJA sought to improve working conditions for journalists at the Post-Dispatch, the Globe-Democrat, the Star-Times, the Daily Record and the Republic newspapers. Post-Dispatch music and drama critic R.L. Stokes was president of the fledgling group.

After the AJA lost influence, famed journalist Heywood Broun helped found the American Newspaper Guild in 1933. St. Louis became the 47th local to join, bringing the Post-Dispatch, Globe-Democrat and Star-Times into the new labor union. In time St. Louis became a one-newspaper town with only the Post-Dispatch surviving. But along the way Local 47 expanded by adding additional units – including the Labor Tribune, the St. Louis Review and KSDK-TV – which still exist today.

In 1997 the union, now known as The Newspaper Guild merged with the Communications Workers of America. Our Local 47 became known officially as TNG-CWA Local 36047. The St. Louis Newspaper Guild broadened its horizons in recent years, bringing the Jobs with Justice organization, the national Truthout web site, the Pekin (Ill.) Daily Times, the Workers Interfaith Network of Memphis, the State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill., the Rockford Register Star, the Freeport (Ill.) Journal-Standard into the local and the Fight For 15 and The Southern Illinoisan.

After agreeing to merge with the Peoria Newspaper Guild in 2011, our local changed its name to the United Media Guild to reflect its broader reach.

OUR VISION

We welcome the opportunity to help unionize workplaces at media companies and non-profit organizations in the Midwest and Mid-South. We can build strength in numbers by bringing like-minded groups together in a common cause.

OUR COMMITMENT TO JOURNALISM

Organized labor has never been more valuable to its members, especially in the economically distressed media sector. Traditional newspaper, television and radio companies are faltering due to changing technologies, evolving consumer tastes, new media competition, a stagnant economy, tight financial markets and crippling corporate debt.

Corporate cutbacks have gutted many newsrooms and threatened the journalism profession. The United Media Guild is pushing back by fighting for its members and the important work they do for Lee Enterprises, GateHouse, Gannett and other companies.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE

Just as journalists play a vital role in a democratic society, so do non-profit organizations and advocacy groups. The UMG and the larger CWA community provide a vehicle for community-minded operations share resources, exchange ideas and work together on important issues.